College basketball’s new season is still days away, but two players already put their names in the spotlight during recent exhibition games.
One of the loudest statements came from Alabama sophomore labaron Philon in an 87-85 win over Auburn. He led the Crimson Tide with 23 points and added four rebounds, two assists and four steals. Philon also had three turnovers while going 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 at the line.
Philon’s performance only adds to the buzz around his second season in Tuscaloosa. After a strong freshman year, the former four-star recruit is viewed as a likely first-round name in the 2027 class. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a steal per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from long range.
That first year also put him on the NBA’s radar. Philon landed in first-round mock drafts, tested the 2026 NBA Draft waters and ultimately chose to return to school. He also attended the NBA Combine, where he measured 6-foot-5-and-a-quarter without shoes, posted a 6-foot-8 wingspan and weighed 205 pounds.
With more on his plate as a sophomore, Philon has a clear path to keep climbing.
At Louisville, the buzz is building around another frontline prospect. The Cardinals’ standout, the son of former NBA big man Obinna Ekezie Sr., arrived as a five-star recruit in the 2026 class and comes into the season with major expectations.
Ekezie was listed at 7-foot-2 and 240 pounds and ranked No. 17 overall and No. 1 among centers in the cycle by 247Sports. In an exhibition against Kansas, he delivered 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and five blocks in 19 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
Louisville outscored Kansas by seven points while Ekezie was on the floor in an 89-83 win, and the Cardinals also limited potential top pick Tyran Stokes to 3-of-13 shooting from the field.
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What mattered most was not just the result, but the way Louisville handled a ranked opponent. Too often in recent seasons, the Cardinals have needed proof they can match up with elite teams, and this was a useful early indicator that the revamped group may be better equipped for that challenge. Still, exhibition or not, the real test comes later, when the games count and the schedule starts asking the same questions again. [Read more 🡒]
Flory Bidunga Is Raising The Stakes For Louisville Already
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ESPN analyst Myron Medcalf took it a step further by predicting Bidunga will win ACC Player of the Year, a lofty projection that instantly raises the stakes for what Louisville is trying to build. For a team still in preseason mode, that kind of praise puts a spotlight on Bidunga before the games even begin, and it gives the Cardinals a potential centerpiece to watch closely once the season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Louisvilles Fourth Quarter Told Fans Something Important About This Team
Late in Louisvilles road win at Syracuse, the game revealed more than just another ACC result. The Cardinals defense tightened at the right moments, leaning on timely blitzes, disciplined coverage and an interception that helped swing the flow, while the offense answered with a handful of key throws that kept the pressure on a Syracuse group trying to settle in around an injury to Malachi Nelson.
For a team trying to show it can travel and close, those stretches mattered. Louisville did not just survive the fourth quarter, it showed a version of itself built on details: individual effort in coverage, a pass rush that arrived on time and an offense willing to make enough plays when the game started to get messy. [Read more 🡒]